Meta-analysis of psychological interventions aimed at reducing corruption tolerance

Talk by PhD student Ardian R. Afandi, University of Copenhagen.

Corruption tolerance - the degree to which individuals accept or normalize corrupt conduct - poses a critical psychological barrier to anti-corruption efforts, yet no meta-analysis has systematically evaluated interventions targeting it. This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesizes empirical evidence on psychological interventions aimed at reducing corruption tolerance across five outcome types: attitudinal, normative, practical, intentional, and behavioral.

Primary searches in Scopus, Web of Science, and APA PsycINFO, supplemented by grey literature screening, yielded 2,430 deduplicated records screened using machine-learning-assisted screening in ASReview. Effect sizes are synthesized using a four-level meta-analytic model (effects nested within studies nested within countries) expressed as Hedges' g, with confirmatory moderator analyses examining intervention type, tolerance type, and country-level corruption scores. This study provides the first quantitative synthesis of this literature, offering effect size estimates and evidence-based result for research and policy.